Carnivorous Chickens.

[gingerchopper]

OK. So went into the garden yesterday and saw my chickens eating a backbird which I figure either they or a cat killed. I am aware that they are obviously carnivores, ( have witnessed one swallow a whole mouse a few years back) but, feel a little worried about the eggs. If the bird had anything nasty, would this pass along the food chain? We ate one, and I thought hmm, and ditched the other laid that day, but am wondering if I should do a longer withhold, or if I am just being plain silly!

 

[Pork Pie]

Mine eat lizards and all sorts of unimaginables - never did me any harm

 

[Mitsos Lamprogiorgos]

1. Boil herbs for yourself and for your chickens. They will kill most of the bacteria.
2. Make the protein and the iron contained in the chicken feed higher.

 

[Shadrach]

I think you’ll be fine.
Chickens eat all sorts of stuff. Here they break open the sheep pellets and pick out seeds. They also rummage through the donkey middens for things to eat. They eat lizards, mice, dead birds, all sorts of rotting fruit and veg.
If I was concerned about what they eat, I wouldn’t eat them or their eggs.
I won’t go into what pigs eat.

 

[gingerchopper]

Mine eat lizards and all sorts of unimaginables - never did me any harm

I think I was just wierded out by the almost cannibalism of it! Though, if there was any issue, I assume they would be sick themselves? I dread to think what the6 eat when 8 am not looking!

 

[gingerchopper]

I think you’ll be fine.
Chickens eat all sorts of stuff. Here they break open the sheep pellets and pick out seeds. They also rummage through the donkey middens for things to eat. They eat lizards, mice, dead birds, all sorts of rotting fruit and veg.
If I was concerned about what they eat, I wouldn’t eat them or their eggs.
I won’t go into what pigs eat.

Thank you. I think I knew the answer to this, but it’s just nice to have your thoughts reinforced sometimes. I do suspect they caught and killed the blackbird, perhaps more worryingly. Several have been around the feeder lately, and really upsetting the chickens. I should perhaps be more worried about that. They keep on pecking me at the moment (broody) I could meet the same fate as the blackbird...

 

[chickengeorgeto]

I think you’ll be fine.
Chickens eat all sorts of stuff. Here they break open the sheep pellets and pick out seeds. They also rummage through the donkey middens for things to eat. They eat lizards, mice, dead birds, all sorts of rotting fruit and veg.
If I was concerned about what they eat, I wouldn’t eat them or their eggs.
I won’t go into what pigs eat.

Actually pigs and swine are more picky eaters than hens are. IMHO hogs learned their table manners from chickens.

 

[Shadrach]

They keep on pecking me at the moment (broody) I could meet the same fate as the blackbird...

Keep moving, you'll be fine.

 

[Shadrach]

Actually pigs and swine are more picky eaters than hens are. IMHO hogs learned their table manners from chickens.

I won't go into the details of the sanitary systems in Asia then....

 

[aart]

If blackbird carcass was old and rotten, botulism might be a concern.
If the chickens killed the blackbird, I'd be more worried about lice and mites migrating from blackbird to chickens.
Once when my dogs killed and skinned a rabbit, dogs were covered in fleas.